GORILLA/CHINCHILLA And Other Animal Rhymes

by Bert Kitchen ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1990

Animals paired only by the sounds of their names inspire trivial verse (""One day the Hippopotamus,/While trudging so wearily,/Looked down to see just what it was/Moving more easily./He spotted the Duck-billed Platypus/Swimming by effortlessly"")--though here it's accompanied by gloriously witty illustrations with a precision and delicacy to rival Audubon's fine animal portraits. The anthropomorphism is all in the text; the sort of sly or rueful glance that amuses human beings in their pets does enliven the illustrations, but--aside from the juxtapositions--the animals are portrayed realistically. The antic combinations provide both humor and exquisite design: a goose peering up at a moose; a frog in mid-jump over a warthog; a tortoise poised between rock and porpoise. Never mind Kitchen's banal verse; enjoy his elegant, delightfully imaginative art.

Pub Date: May 1, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S